Experience...night time

Its a chilly ( well chilly by mumbai standards but now i say pleasant ( dont think im 'converted' as yet )) 2:45am after yet another hectic Thursday. Relaxing in the living, wrapping up on late night ice-cream and getting down to thinking whats to be done for lab and assignments next week, while listening to 'yeh kahan aa gaye hum..' then suddenly like out of now where there was a sort of desperate knocking on the door. Startled, all of us ( roommates and me) opened up to see our downstairs roommate in a strange sort of situation.

He had just come across a man ( say Mr X) in desperate need of help lying just on the main street. After some hazy conversation he figured out that the man was headed to our (and his) very own apartment. With each one to his own sort of thing here we really hadnt met the downstairs guy previously and so he too assumed that Mr X might be our roommate....hmmm....

Well then we went down stairs and had a look. A couple of juniors returning home were there too. After trying to elicit a response as to Mr X's identity and whereabouts we gave up and decided to call CUPD. It was hardly 2 minutes that the glowing lights flashed through our otherwise dark and silent street.

It was then, in the proceedings that followed that i got a glimpse of what i had only heard and read about. The polite yet stern questioning by the officer. The 'individual freedom' policy in effect and followed to the core was what really took over me. Respect for human life, liberty and professional public service was indeed remarkable.

Well....well....some ...or rather many may say that i want to compare the situation to things back in India. I do to some extent. Its not that the police system in india despises people or doesnt take personal ordinary cases seriously. its only that there are so many tons of such cases that its humanly impossible to follow each and every point section and subsection of all possible type of charters. On the face of it...one might say that in the time the officer questioned X regarding the preceding events or his present state...a pandu would have just given him some whacks with the 'danda' or sprayed some water to get him back on track. But nevertheless, things happened as they always happen here. an ambulance was called for.

Once again i delve in the distinguishing feature of such emergency public services. The ambulance was accompanied by or rather preceded by a fire engine, that completely bathed our porch with glittering red-blue light. It was now that peeping and craning from windows started. Well having not much time....i think what i implied has come through and the comparison is some what clear.

Then after the Docs arrived, identified X,strapped him on the stretcher, loaded him that they finally said the gracious greeting ( that im now almost used to here) and returned

We too headed back upstairs with my head quite clear.

999999 !

Today is 09/09/09, both for Countries with all sorts of date formats.

I went out for dinner tonight to this awesome place called 9's at around 9:09pm....well we had planned to reach there at 9 but there being a flurry of "activity" in the evening we got a bit delayed...luckily !

So its Dinner at 9's at 9:09 on 09/09/09. ( To state it agin in one sentence for people like me)

tc

bye

Those Days

Woh 249 ka wait

251 ke dhakke

reaching late...

back bench ko garam karke

lectures mein pictionary......

the familiar scenery.

break mein catching practice...

vrindavan mein lunch,

assignments ka crunch

the hustle of the canteen...

shetty's ke lolly

space mein all's jolly.

dsp lab ke tennis matches,

vlsi lab mein behata paseena

cp pracs ke printout

god knows what im on about...

passing through semester

the vivas tester

the exams pester.

those were the Days

But see how destiny plays

everyone their own ways

looking for a raise

and sunshine days.

On the Move

As my transition (or pre orientation as its known here) draws to an end....the course work begins and with that begins long hours in the lab....reading nights and lots of interactions.
This place is really beautiful...its like living in the 19th century with technology of the 21st century....magnificent architecturally awe inspiring sprawling buildings with lush green lawns and gushing streams....gives this place a real blissful feeling.
As i settle into my new environs...days are flying by....

Attn: Change in Command Centre ! :) :(

My temporary absence from here is due to my ongoing preprations of travel abroad. Im really very pained to leave the comfort of my good old chair...the one that has really stood strong under me and bore all my....well you know what...

But from now on i assure you dear reader(s) (hoping there are some in the plural) that ull be hearing or actually reading from me quite soon....from the Big Apple.

Till then, join me in bidding adieu to...everything.

On a High

As the days begin to count down

with every passing minute

im getting high

with a silent sigh.

But im not the only one.

there are a number

sighing over days to remember

creeping in their minds

like an overgrown ivy.

But bliemy! look

who too is on a high;

raging and swelling

on shores and dwelling;

the swollen seas

much like our overflown memories...

As the waves come crashing by

flooding us with old memory,

The high tide of the Century

symbolic of the time

for us to tide- into the new country!

The Devils Alternative

Recently i went through 'The Devils Alternative' all over Again. And even now the book had the ability to take my breath away. The way the author presents the history behind the characters or even large organisations and leads to the present events and makes the characters take Futuristic decisions is really enchanting. One thing i loved about the plot is the way it unfalteringly opens up providing us a peek into the uppermost echelons of global power. I still get the same feeling...the significance of the title hitting me.

Being really busy these past days...this much should be enough for here....for now.

BWSL Anyone ?

Bandra to Worli in under 7 mins ? The long awaited wish has finally been fulfilled.

In the unfortunate case that you dont know what im talking about (in that case you should definitely pay attention) this is the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (or whatever name it would be called) that has changed the skyline of Mumbai.

After a long wait, watching it grow inch by inch, it finally opened to the public on 1st July 2009 at 7:00AM. I had the chance to "experience it" along with my aunt,grandad, bro and mom at around 7:30 the same morning. Being in the Festive First Five Free days the toll of Rs50 was not applicable to us or the hundreds others present.

It was indeed a real pleasure travelling on it, soaking in the 'early morning air' and the breathtaking skyline that is Mumbai. Moving through the cable-stayed way really invoked a magistic feeling that will surely last me a lifetime. The Link was more like a tourist hotspot with All eagerly craning out of the ( usually shut) windows to capture figments of their memory. This is what made the Experience Extra 'Especial'. For a change the "oh! do i know you?" or the "oh! do you exist?" Mumbaikars were smilling across windows, gesturing and exchanging the shared extacy.

In the car beside us was "a-live" radio reporter whom i quote " there are Generations of Mumbaikars travelling with me". After smiling pleasantly at her- to our great surprise she sprang out of her car to catch a few bytes out of my grandad. Apart from radio the television crew were there too...but now in hindsight i feel that it was the mood of the mumbaikar and the feeling in his heart/mind that was to be captured rather than the large queues of cars at the ports of entry or exit.

Now what remains to be seen is what the mood is after 5 days ( or probably a month). Is it still friendly people enjoying the engineering landmark or is it 'business' as usual with 'cars' rather than peeople rushing to work or returning from yet another day.

Koyna Kommentary

This is June 16 to 18 2009.

I had the opportunity of visiting the first 'Indian' dam to be built post independence and the largest in Maharashtra. The Koyna dam (actually the surroundings of it). Situated in the lush green Sahayadri range in western ghats, this dam is actually a collection of 4 mini dams. The large backwater apart from mainly providing hydroelectric power, irrigation and potable drinking water has made the surrounding forestation evergreen. The koyna dam appears very small as compared to others in the himalayas but still its unique engineering vision has made it really very special. Its 4 phases have ensured year round supply of water and electricity; even in the harsh month of May.

On reaching the hill-top overlooking the dam -site we saw just the first phase,this is the oldest and is a conventional hydro-electric power dam. But as always there always "more than what meets the eye" .All the remaing 3 phases are actually underground with water diverted to the turbines via tunnels cutting over 4km through the mountain range. The expanse of the mountain and the idea implemented left us spell bound, literally. The planning and excecution of this task is an engineering masterpiece with perfect management of the human needs and the geological and ecological balance.

We also got an insight into a technique called 'lake tapping' used in the third phase. Here the backwater (level which is the highest of all in summer) is diverted up the slope through a tunnel 80 meter in diameter. The water level pressure itself is used as a pump. So, a deep trench is dug underneth the expected trench. The expected trench (used to divert the water) is then exploded, with the water pressure pushing the debris down into the deerper dug trench; therby completing the water path to the turbine.

There is also a safety feature built into the entire system. By means of two surge wells over 800 meters deep, the backwater is allowed to swell in flood situations without overflowing from the dam. The enegry of this water is also harnessed to generate electricity. Standing on the cliff of the mountain with greenery sprawling all over, along with the gentle humming of the underground turbine was an amazing experience.

So now after trying to provide you the technical details, i must inform

you that 'permission' (read influence) is required to actually visit the dam site, the hydro-electric stations and the underground power stations. Having no such luck...we setteld for a virtual tour of the engineering marvel at Koyna provided by Nishigandha Vad; screened daily at the popular Nehru Udyan just flanking the main dam. Another point of note is that due to security arrangements( by way of jammers) no cellphones are of any use here. This i feel is a blessing in disguise, for giving us two days of completed respite.

We realy enjoyed our stay at koynanagar amidst the lush greenery, the local village folk and a total lack of any 'visitors'. Telling people that Koyna is a good place to vist, i find them stumped.

Hope you are too. :)

Happy Travelling !

Hope

After having said stuff in the last post i just couldnt stop myself from entering the Innovators of Tomorrow contest. People may Call this "Double Standards" -it may be to a certain extent but for me the 2 Lenovos were enough of a bait.

So heres my entry...lets see if it passes muster...

"Bionic Plant: With Global warming threatening all ice caps and polar glaciers there is a need to use up all the excess green house gases, like carbon di-oxide, to prevent global warming. The bionic plant would be a Silicon/photonic plant that will use the chemical properties of the material to produce oxygen from carbon di-oxide just like natural plants do by the process of photosynthesis. Modified versions of photosensitive Si would act like the Chlorophyll which is activated by light. Pressure transducers would control the valves of the stomata to let in carbondioxide and give out oxygen. The function of water and minerals would be done by Electrons/photons in the bionic plant. Using chemical nature green house gasses will be used up. Also this plant can survive severe polar winds and colds and hence global warming will reduce in the absense of natural plants that do not survive here....thereby saving the planet"